How to Recognize the Plastics That are Hazardous to You
April 11, 2013
Story at-a-glance
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A classification system called the Resin Identification
Code, which is the number printed on the bottom of most
plastic bottles and food containers, describes what kind of
plastic resin the product is made out of.
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The most toxic plastics are #7, #3 and #6, while those that
may be somewhat safer include #1, #2, #4 and #5.
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Ninety-five percent of all plastic products tested were
positive for estrogenic activity, meaning they contain
chemicals that can potentially disrupt your hormones and
cause other adverse health effects.
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If at all possible, seek to purchase products that are not
made from or packaged in plastic.
By Dr. Mercola
Look around your home and take note of just how many plastic
items are around you. From food containers and utensils to
bags, water bottles, shower curtains and children’s toys,
plastic has become a permanent fixture in our everyday lives –
but it’s one that comes with serious consequences.
Approximately 200 billion pounds (that’s 100 million
tons) of plastic are produced every year. Some now say we have
entered the “Age of Plastics.”1
But all of these plastic chemicals are now finding their way
into your body and the environment, where they are accumulating
over time with potentially catastrophic biological consequences.
Why You Should Check the Resin Identification Code
It is possible to seriously cut back on the amount of plastic
in your life, which I strongly recommend and give tips for
below. However, for the plastics you do use it’s important to be
aware of the risks they pose.
This can be determined through a classification system called
the Resin Identification Code, which is the number printed on
the bottom of most plastic bottles and food containers. It
describes what kind of plastic resin the product is made out of.
The featured article2
compiled a breakdown of what each Resin Identification Code
means, which you can use to help you make informed decisions on
your plastic usage. As you’ll read below, you should generally
avoid plastics labeled #7, #3 or #6, while those that may be
somewhat safer include #1, #2, #4 and #5.
Getting to Know Your Plastics: What the 7 Numbers Mean
Plastic #1: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Typically used to make bottles for soft drinks, water,
juice, mouthwash, sports drinks and containers for
condiments like ketchup, salad dressing, jelly and jam, PET
is considered safe, but it can actually leach the toxic
metal antimony, which is used during its manufacture.
One study that looked at 63 brands of bottled water
produced in Europe and Canada found concentrations of
antimony that were more than 100 times the typical level
found in clean groundwater (2 parts per trillion).3
It also found that the longer a bottle of water sits on a
shelf -- in a grocery store or your refrigerator -- the
greater the dose of antimony present. It is believed that
the amount of antimony leeching from these PET bottles
differs based on exposure to sunlight, higher temperatures,
and varying pH levels.
Brominated compounds have also been found to leach into
PET bottles.4
Bromine is known to act as a central nervous system
depressant, and can trigger a number of psychological
symptoms such as acute paranoia and other psychotic
symptoms.
Plastic #2: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
HDPE, which is considered a low-hazard plastic, is often
used for milk, water and juice bottles, as well as bottles
for cleaning supplies and shampoo. It’s also used to make
grocery bags and cereal box liners. HDPE (like most
plastics) has been found to release estrogenic chemicals.
In one study, 95 percent of all plastic products tested
were positive for estrogenic activity, meaning they can
potentially disrupt your hormones and even alter the
structure of human cells, posing risks to infants and
children.5
In this particular study, even products that claimed to be
free of the common plastic toxicant bisphenol-A (BPA) still
tested positive for other estrogenic chemicals.
Plastic #3: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
PVC plastic can be rigid or flexible, and is commonly
found in bags for bedding, shrink wrap, deli and meat wrap,
plastic toys, table cloths and blister packs used to store
medications.
PVC contains toxic chemicals including DEHP, a type of
phthalate used as a plastics softener. Phthalates are one of
the groups of "gender-bending" chemicals causing males of
many species to become more female. These chemicals have
disrupted the endocrine systems of wildlife, causing
testicular cancer, genital deformations, low sperm counts
and infertility in a number of species, including polar
bears, deer, whales and otters, just to name a few.
Scientists believe phthalates are responsible for a
similar pattern of adverse effects in humans as well. If
your home contains soft, flexible plastic flooring, such as
vinyl or those padded play-mat floors for kids (often used
in day cares and kindergartens, too), there’s a good chance
it is also made from toxic PVC. PVC flooring has been linked
to chronic diseases including allergies, asthma and autism.
Plastic #4: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Another plastic that is considered a low hazard, LDPE is
used in bags for bread, newspapers, fresh produce, household
garbage and frozen foods, as well as in paper milk cartons
and hot and cold beverage cups. While LDPE does not contain
BPA, it may pose risks of leaching estrogenic chemicals,
similar to HDPE.
Plastic #5: Polypropylene (PP)
PP plastic is used to make containers for yogurt, deli
foods, medications and takeout meals. While polypropylene is
said to have a high heat tolerance making it unlikely to
leach chemicals, at least one study found that PP plastic
ware used for laboratory studies did leach at least two
chemicals.6
Plastic #6: Polystyrene (PS)
Polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam, is used to make
cups, plates, bowls, take-out containers, meat trays and
more. Polystyrene is known to leach styrene,7
which can damage your nervous system and is linked to
cancer, into your food. Temperature has been found to play a
role in how much styrene leaches from polystyrene
containers, which means using them for hot foods and
beverages (such as hot coffee in a polystyrene cup) may be
worst of all.
Plastic #7: Other
This is a catch-all designation used to describe products
made from other plastic resins not described above, or those
made from a combination of plastics. It’s difficult to know
for sure what types of toxins may be in #7 plastics, but
there’s a good chance it often contains BPA or the new,
equally concerning chemical on the block in the bisphenol
class known as
Bisphenol-S (BPS).
BPA and BPS are endocrine disrupters, which means they
mimic or interfere with your body's hormones and "disrupts"
your endocrine system. The glands of your endocrine system
and the hormones they release are instrumental in regulating
mood, growth and development, tissue function, metabolism,
as well as sexual function and reproductive processes.
Some of the greatest concern surrounds early-life, in
utero exposure to bisphenol compounds, which can lead to
chromosomal errors in your developing fetus, causing
spontaneous miscarriages and genetic damage. But evidence is
also very strong showing these chemicals are influencing
adults and children, too, and leading to decreased sperm
quality, early puberty, stimulation of mammary gland
development, disrupted reproductive cycles and ovarian
dysfunction, cancer and heart disease, among numerous other
health problems.
For instance, research has found that "higher BPA
exposure is associated with general and central obesity in
the general adult population of the United States,"8
while another study found that BPA is associated not only
with generalized and abdominal obesity, but also with
insulin resistance, which is an underlying factor in many
chronic diseases.9
Plastics Pose a Great Risk to the Environment, Too
Plastics are not only an issue in products while they’re
being used but also when they’re disposed of. While
approximately
50 percent of plastic waste goes to landfills (where it will
sit for hundreds of years due to limited oxygen and lack of
microorganisms to break it down) the remaining 45 plus percent
“disappears” into the environment where it ultimately washes out
to sea, damaging marine ecosystems and entering the food chain.
Plastic particles are like “sponges” for waterborne
contaminants such as PCBs, pesticides like DDT, herbicides,
PAHs, and other persistent organic pollutants. This phenomenon
makes plastics far from benign, and scientists have yet to
determine the full extent of the dangers posed by their
consumption or the effects higher up the food chain.
One of the biggest environmental assaults is the massive
accumulation of plastic trash in each of the world’s five major
oceanic gyres. Gyres are large, slowly rotating oceanic
whirlpools, driven by global winds and ocean currents.10
Garbage and debris is funneled into the center of these gyres,
in a kind of toilet bowl effect or vortex.
One of these gyres, the North Pacific Gyre, is in the middle
of the Pacific Ocean about a thousand miles from the Western
coast. In its midst is a huge mass of trash (90 percent
plastics), which floats in a soup of smaller pieces that have
been broken apart by wave action.
Some call it the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” and others the
“Pacific Trash Vortex,” but regardless of its name, it’s the
largest “landfill” in the world. In it you will find everything
from plastic netting to bottles and bags and buckets, paint
rollers, hula-hoops and medical equipment. Most of the garbage
patch, however, is not made up of large items but rather
microplastics you can’t see with the naked eye, forming a sort
of plastic soup where pure seawater used to be. Filter-feeding
marine animals ingest these plastic particles, and the toxins
they contain, and subsequently pass them up through the food
chain, and eventually to humans.
Tips for Cutting Down on Your Plastic Use
If at all possible, seek to purchase products that are not
made from or packaged in plastic. Here are a few ideas for doing
so:
Use reusable shopping bags for groceries |
Bring your own mug for coffee |
Bring drinking water from home in glass water bottles,
instead of buying bottled water |
Store foods in the freezer in glass mason jars as
opposed to plastic bags |
Take your own non-plastic container to restaurants for
leftovers |
Request no plastic wrap on your newspaper and dry
cleaning |
Avoid disposable utensils |
Buy foods in bulk when you can |
Replace your plastic kitchenware with glass or ceramic
alternatives |
Use stainless steel or high-heat-resistant nylon for
utensils in lieu of plastics |
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Since plastic is found widely in processed food packaging
(this includes canned foods and beverages, which typically have
a plastic lining), modifying your diet to include primarily
fresh, whole foods that you purchase at a farmer's market or
food co-op will have the added benefit of helping you cut down
on exposure to plastic chemicals that are common in the food
packages sold at most supermarkets.
© Copyright 1997-2013 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/11/plastic-use.aspx
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